Ponds and Water Gardens - pondless waterfall
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : pondless waterfall
kolarbear
02-27-09, 12:51 PM
Hi, I was wondering if anyone could give some advice on a pondless waterfall project I am planning.
Question #1: What size catch basin do I need for a 25ft long stream/waterfall by about 2ft wide? Formulas tell me that the stream will hold just under 200gal. Does that mean a 300 gal basin would suffice?
Question #2: Are there any drawbacks to not having my basin filled with rocks or other pourous material? I want to use a grate that is covered with rock and open below. Basically a covered pond. Does that lead to any problems?
Any other advice is welcome. Thanks.
Question #1: What size catch basin do I need for a 25ft long stream/waterfall by about 2ft wide? Formulas tell me that the stream will hold just under 200gal. Does that mean a 300 gal basin would suffice?
Question #2: Are there any drawbacks to not having my basin filled with rocks or other pourous material? I want to use a grate that is covered with rock and open below. Basically a covered pond. Does that lead to any problems?
Any other advice is welcome. Thanks.
Pilot Dane
02-27-09, 07:25 PM
It sounds like you have a pretty good grasp of what you are doing.
Your catch basin (bottom pond) needs to be able to hold all of the water in your system when the pump is off. Since you are going to have a rock covered grate the varying water level will not be visible. Just make sure you have enough water depth for your pump when the system is running and a little extra to allow for evaporation so you do not have to refill the waterfall every couple days during the summer.
Your catch basin (bottom pond) needs to be able to hold all of the water in your system when the pump is off. Since you are going to have a rock covered grate the varying water level will not be visible. Just make sure you have enough water depth for your pump when the system is running and a little extra to allow for evaporation so you do not have to refill the waterfall every couple days during the summer.
kolarbear
02-27-09, 11:57 PM
Thanks for the reply. Do you know if I risk any problems by not having by basin filled with rocks? All the instructions I have read show the basin full of rocks, is this just to have something to support the top rocks(visible) or is there another purpose I'm missing. I'm afraid that I will have a smelly, slimy pond if I use the grate. I'm also worried that I will dig my basin, build my waterfall, then test it to find out I don't have enough capacity in the basin. My hope is that there is a somewhat accurate way to find out what the basin volume should be based on the size of the waterfall. I have only found one calculation online to determine this and I'm not sure I trust it. Just curious. I hate to start projects without being confident of the outcome. Thanks.
Pilot Dane
03-03-09, 05:19 PM
Dumping rocks into a hole is just an easy, idiot-proof way of doing it. If your water is unfiltered you will have the same contamination problems either way.
Calculating the volume of your catch pond is pretty easy. Just measure and work out the volume. The waterfall is more unpredictable because there are many more variables. I would not be afraid to use the online calculators. They should get you pretty close for a starting point. When in doubt a larger catch basin will give you extra margin for error.
Calculating the volume of your catch pond is pretty easy. Just measure and work out the volume. The waterfall is more unpredictable because there are many more variables. I would not be afraid to use the online calculators. They should get you pretty close for a starting point. When in doubt a larger catch basin will give you extra margin for error.